The Hongkongers working through the Lunar New Year holiday
Not everyone takes a break during Lunar New Year. Joyee Chan hears how those who work through the holidays will mark the occasion
Over the Lunar New Year, most Hongkongers get togetherfor family banquets, tally up the number of red packets they've received, or simply take the opportunity to enjoy a well-earned break. But some are still hard at work during the festivities.
For trade unionist and legislator Alice Mak Mei-kuen, working through the holiday comes with the territory. It's a schedule she has maintained for the past 21 years. In the weeks leading up to the holiday, she is already busy wishing her constituents in New Territories West health and prosperity.
On Lunar New Year's Eve, visitors to the annual fair at Victoria Park will find her at the Federation of Trade Unions booth, between stalls selling helium balloons, fragrant narcissus and dragon floss candy. The hectic pace will continue into the first days of the Year of the Goat, when she tours her districts, giving out sweets and spreading good wishes.
"It's an important custom to wish them good health and prosperity in the Lunar New Year," she says, adding that the communities of New Territories West are like an extended family to her.
She is grateful to have a supportive family who don't complain about her working on public holidays. She hopes to finish her work in the morning so that she can spend the afternoon with them. "I usually have dim sum with my father," says Mak. "It's the best way to start the Lunar New Year."
